


Competitive

by dietcokeenthusiast



Series: Her Teacher, Her Emperor [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Competition, F/F, Slice of Life, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 15:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: Edelgard is fiercely competitive when it comes to games of strategy, and chess is no exception. Even against Byleth, only victory will suffice.





	Competitive

Edelgard’s brow wrinkled in concentration. Her posture was rigid and on guard, even more so than usual. Her lips were pulled taut in a frown. Then there was the withering stare cast down at the chessboard in front of her once Byleth moved her rook to threaten her king.   
  
“Check,” she said flatly, her face not showing a hint of emotion.

She noted the tiny cracks in Edelgard’s composure. The slight twitch of her eye, the way she balled her left hand into a fist, and the sudden sharp intake of air. “That was… unexpected, professor,” she said, voice remaining steady even as her little tells gave her away. “Clearly I need to be thinking more moves ahead.”   
  
“Worth remembering for next time. Less useful here,” Byleth replied softly. “The only thing that matters is what you decide now.”

“Right…” Edelgard sighed, but her shoulders seemed to relax a little bit. Byleth resisted the urge to smile. Edelgard was always taking things seriously, perhaps a bit too much so, and it wasn’t difficult to see why some thought of her as uptight. For whatever reason, though, Byleth noticed it only took the occasional soft word and redirection to get her to loosen up a bit. Of course, there was only so much that could be done as far as that went.

“What if…” Edelgard moved her knight to take the rook, but kept a firm grip on her piece as she considered what might happen next. Correctly predicting that Byleth’s queen would simply take the knight and put her in the same position, she withdrew, taking more time to consider the board. Her frown tightened, and she looked positively grumpy as she examined her situation. Byleth barely concealed a smile. The sight was endearing.

“Do you nee-”   
  
“Absolutely not,” Edelgard immediately fired back, not even looking up from the board to respond. Her words were far from unexpected.

“As you wish,” said Byleth. “Remember that this is just a game. It can be just about learning, or perhaps even fun. I understand you can be competitive, but there are moments you can relax.”   
  
“There are,” Edelgard replied, finally making her move and moving her king to the side, exposing her bishop to the rook. “This isn’t one of them. I need to keep my mind sharp at all times. Always anticipating my opponent’s next move, looking to gain an advantage, that will never cease once I become Empress. All I can do is to ensure I’m as well practiced as possible by the time it happens.”

“Of course,” Byleth replied, her eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise as Edelgard removed her hand from her king, confirming that was indeed her move. “I do worry about you, you know.”

“Worry? What do you mean, professor?” Edelgard raised an eyebrow.

“I know you’ve got expectations, Very high expectations. Perhaps someone who’s lived her entire life as a merc isn’t the one to say this, but… when we hear stories about rulers and emperors, we hear about the conquest and the important decisions. The things you prepare for.” Byleth gave the board a quick look over. “There’s more to life than that, however. Anyone’s life. Even a ruler must have moments of peace to themselves, or that they share with loved ones.”

“Even if that were so, it does neither me nor the Empire any good to prepare and think about rest. If those moments come, they come, but I must be ready to give my all, body and mind, at any time it’s needed.” Edelgard leaned back slightly. “When I speak of hardening myself, I don’t just speak about difficult choices and sacrifices. I speak about the need to be prepared at all times.”

Byleth nodded.”Right. Being prepared is important, I agree.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Part of being prepared is looking after yourself, though. It’s hard to do that when you’re ‘on’ all the time.” She then moved the rook to take the bishop, expression still unchanged.

“F-” Edelgard appeared dumbfounded by what had just happened, and then horrified at what she had nearly said. She adjusted her posture, adjusted her collar, and cleared her throat. “Forgive me professor,” she said calmly, as though her cheeks hadn’t taken on a noticeably pinkish hue.

“I heard nothing,” Byleth replied, unable to conceal the smile on her lips.

“Does my misfortune amuse you?” Edelgard asked, eyes narrowed.

“Greatly,” Byleth deadpanned. “It is why I am a teacher.”

Edelgard just sighed, and shook her head, moving the king further to the side. Byleth made a note of how easily her rook could threaten her king, and moved it into position, much to Edelgard’s increasingly visible dismay. “Gods…” she said through gritted teeth.

“I know you didn’t ask for aid, but if you move your queen here,” she pointed to the spot, “you’d sacrifice her, but keep your king safe. There’s not many other places for it.”

Edelgard slumped in her chair. “I didn’t ask… but at this point maybe I should accept it. Or…” in a move completely overlooked by Byleth, she moved her knight to take the rook.

Byleth’s composure showed the slightest of cracks as she could do naught but blink for a moment. “I see.”

Edelgard returned to sitting how she usually did, arms folded across her chest, and an almost frightening level of concentration at the task ahead of her. “Your move, professor.”

Byleth just nodded, moving her bishop out to eventually threaten her king. If things went according to plan, she would eventually run out of places to move, and be forced into checkmate. It was then Edelgard but her queen out to threaten Byleth’s king. Once again, another move that Byleth had failed to foresee. “Check,” she announced.

The two would continue on trading moves for a few minutes longer, Byleth finding to her surprise that even as she was able to capture a piece or two of Edelgard’s, Edelgard had taken control. Eventually, Byleth would be the one who found herself cornered, when Edelgard moved her queen into position. “Checkmate.”

“Well, give me a moment to....” Byleth trailed off as she examined the board. There wasn’t a safe move left for her to make. “So it is. Checkmate.”   
  
“YES!” Edelgard let out an uncharacteristic shout, the joy plain in her voice. Almost as strange was the big, happy grin plastered across her face. It was a rare sight to see Edelgard so happy with anything. Byleth couldn’t help but think that expression suited her quite well, though.”I’ve finally beaten you!”

“So you have. Congratulations.” Byleth allowed herself a slight smile, as she nodded to Edelgard.

“Thank you, professor!” Her moment of exuberance was already passing, her voice returning to its more typical tone, though she still smiled brightly. “I have to admit, you were easier to bait than I thought you would be.”

Even Byleth couldn’t hide her surprise that time. “Bait?”

Edelgard nodded. “After a number of our games, I decided to examine the bigger picture, beyond just the field of play. I eventually noticed that when I performed certain actions or gestures, that you would play more aggressively. Once I knew that, it was all just a matter of repeating those actions so that you would go on the offensive prematurely. To make sure you weren’t on to me, I made sure to watch you very closely as well.”

“Is that so?” Edelgard made a note to open a window once Edelgard left. The room felt a bit warm.

“You have tells of your own, as a matter of fact.”

“Not true. It took the class a month to realize I wasn’t actually being serious when I said my heart doesn’t actually beat.”

“They aren’t paying close enough attention,” Edelgard smiled. “It’s not anything obvious if that’s what you’re worried about, but once you’ve spent enough time and care to look closely, it’s there. Your eyes get a bit wider, or you blink an extra time or two. You need to be more careful.”   
  
“Of course,” she replied evenly, getting up to open the window now. “Do you make a habit of watching everyone so closely?”

“Well, I at least attempt to,” she replied, fiddling with a loose strand of hair and dropping eye contact for just a moment. “It comes with always being prepared.” Her gaze then returned to Byleth. “Speaking of which, Professor, I owe you my gratitude.”

“Why is that?” Byleth asked, returning to her seat.

“I know I can be more intense than most people when it comes to games like this. Some people don’t like to play them with me for that reason. Worst of all, some of them even try to let me win.” A frown crossed her face for a brief moment as she mentioned it. “You aren’t put off, or at least there’s nothing in your tells that says you are,” she said, her fingers moving to fiddle with the strand a bit more. “While you offered help, you never underestimated me or tried to let me win. You knew it was important to me to earn a real victory, and helped me to get there.” The smile returned to her face, as she leaned forward a bit. “I suppose what I’m getting at is that this is just another way your guidance has helped make me better, professor.”

“Then I’m glad, and proud you accomplished your goal,” she replied, unable to miss how Edelgard’s eyes lit up as she said it. “The advice I offered earlier is about that too, you know.”

A rare chuckle left Edelgard’s lips. “I suppose you have a point. Even the mightiest Emperor will tire if they’re perpetually alert, and leave themselves open. On your advice, I’ll look for more moments where I can be at ease. Like this one.” Almost as soon as she said it, she looked away and cleared her throat. “The victory, I mean. Not that you are not easy to speak with, but… you understand my meaning.”

Byleth blinked. She wondered why the window didn’t seem to be doing any good. “Right. Of course.”

Edelgard nodded quickly. “In any case, I have likely taken up enough of your time, and you have work that needs to be done. I should leave you to it.” She bowed to her. “Thank you for your time, Professor. And for all that you do.”

“Of course, Edelgard.” Byleth bowed in turn. “Don’t ever worry about my time, though. You’re always welcome here.”   
  
Edelgard just smiled, and headed out, perhaps a bit more quickly than usual. Though she wouldn’t see it, Byleth gave Edelgard a wave and a warm smile. She pushed her hair back as she moved to put away the chessboard once Edelgard was out of sight, keeping it on her desk. She had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before Edelgard came by for another game.

At the very least, Byleth found herself genuinely hoping it wouldn’t.


End file.
